Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioC Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for GWBC Radio’s Open for Business. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:18] This is Lee Kantor. I’ll be a host on today’s episode on GWBC Radio. I have Nika White. And she is with Nika White Consulting. Welcome.

Nika White: [00:00:28] Hi. Thank you. Thanks for having me.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:30] Well, tell us about your consultancy. How are you serving folks?

Nika White: [00:00:35] So, my consultant firm is actually rooted in the work of diversity, equity and inclusion. So, I intersect DEI with leadership and business. And I work with all types of clients – private/public sector, different industries, different sizes – helping them to think strategically about diversity and to be intentional about integrating inclusion throughout the business frameworks.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:00] Now, how did you come up upon that? How’d you get into that specific kind of specialty?

Nika White: [00:01:08] Sure. My background is marketing communications. But the latter part of my tenure in that industry, I found that I was really drawn to the space of diversity, equity and inclusion primarily because I recall thinking about the work of those who are in the marketing communications space to be very thoughtful and strategic partners to our clients, to consumer constituencies who represent diverse America. And that led to the business case of recognizing the need to be much more thoughtful and intentional about creating a workforce that’s diverse, so that those perspectives are brought forward when working with different clients.

Nika White: [00:01:48] And as I took inventory of all the work that I align myself with, I found that I was always advocating for the underrepresented. I always wanted people to have a way to feel seen, valued, and heard. And that ended up leading me directly to this path of working in this discipline full time, which then led after a number of years to me joining the entrepreneurship role and launching my own management consulting firm.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:16] Now, this is something that isn’t a kind of a nice-to-have anymore, right? To have this kind of mindset of the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion is kind of a must-have in today’s world, don’t you agree?

Nika White: [00:02:32] I definitely agree. And I have been encouraged by the number of organizations that have also gravitated to those sentiments. This is no longer something that people can gravitate to from a standpoint of it being the right thing to do but more so because they see it as a business imperative. And I think that now, considering we’re in the midst of COVID-19, how to lead inclusively through times of crisis is something that’s really rising to the top of minds of leaders of all types of organizations. And so, I’m glad to see that. And I’m hoping it’s just going to continue because we must amplify the needs of all citizens, particularly those that are most vulnerable.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:13] So now what are some ways that companies can kind of execute on that initiative of being more diverse, inclusive and equitable?

Nika White: [00:03:28] Well, I think the first thing is you have to have leadership commitment. And oftentimes, that looks like ensuring that there is some learning, and development, and training of your leaders, so that they can best support this work and, particularly, those in the organization that’s charged with the responsibility. I think the other thing is we need to, all of us, as individuals, to see this as a leadership competency. Being conclusion-minded is a leadership function. And I don’t mean leadership by position or title, but whether by sheer influence, we can lead from any place in an organization.

Nika White: [00:04:03] And that’s important because we need for everyone to own the responsibility of helping to create equitable and inclusive spaces. And so, if we see that as the responsibility solely for the person that carries the title of an executive officer, or as a chief diversity officer, or even an HR professional, then we’ve missed out on the opportunity to really execute upon this work in a way that is systemic and sustainable.

Nika White: [00:04:30] I think that another way that organizations can lean into this work of diversity, equity and inclusion in terms of operationalizing it is not treating it as activity, whereby, you have a start and an end date, but you treat it as impact. And that means creating a change within systems, policies, procedures, practices, changing the culture. That’s what’s going to lead to sustainability of this work. And just like anything else, having a strategic plan to navigate this work where you have metrics and tracking in place. And so, that’s usually where I encourage a lot of organizations to start. There’s also great value in doing an assessment or an audit to gather data that helps to inform the path forward plan.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:18] Now, how do you address the issue that if you ask kind of a random person about the importance of diversity, I’m sure they say, “Sure, that’s important. And inclusion, obviously, that’s important. Being equitable, that’s important,” but then if you kind of look around at maybe the photos on their website, and you don’t see any diversity in the photos that it’s something that they’re not even aware? Like in their mind, they think they are a diverse organization, but the proof is in the proof, right? So, then, you look at the website, and they’re not diverse. How do you kind of help them bridge that gap that maybe in their mind, they think they are, but in reality they aren’t?

Nika White: [00:06:01] Yeah, Lee. So, that’s a great question. It begins with really understanding the constructs of diversity, equity and inclusion. So, diversity is very broad in nature. There’s multiple layers of diversity and multiple dimensions of diversity. It’s not just about the optics of age, race and gender. And so, we have to become much more sophisticated in how and which we talk about and define diversity.

Nika White: [00:06:20] Inclusion, on the other hand, is where we put forth intentional effort, some level of action behind the work of inclusion to help ensure that we are harnessing and leveraging those differences for greater outcomes of the organization. So, we can’t be passive about the work of inclusion. I always tell people that if your organization is touting its leadership around diversity, equity and inclusion, but yet and still you aren’t attacking the optics, then that’s going to compromise your credibility because to your point, Lee, if someone were to go to your workplace, and look at your board of directors, or see your employees and not have a good representation of all types of people, then it’s going to cause some to question the authenticity around your leadership and diversity, equity, inclusion. So, that’s where representation is really important. And it starts with understanding those constructs, and then developing very intentional strategies that you are being committed to to help move and drive the needle towards the ultimate goals that you desire.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:24] Are you finding that the reason that this diversity isn’t taking place as much as we would like it to, is this something that people are saying, “Okay, we don’t want to hire this kind of people,” or is this more of a unconscious or subconscious kind of bias that’s occurring?

Nika White: [00:07:44] I think it’s mostly the latter. I think that a lot of people recognize that we all have blind spots. We don’t know what we don’t know, which puts us in a vulnerable position in terms of not understanding how to go about changing the landscape of organizations. But that’s why there’s lots of resources out there. There are people like me who are experienced with this work and can help organizations to create a plan that’s comprehensive in nature and reach the end goals to becoming much more inclusive. There’s lots of webinars, and conferences, and books, and whitepapers. And so, I think that, sometimes, it could become an excuse for organizations to not want to start to be thoughtful about this space because there’s tons of ways in which we can educate ourselves.

Nika White: [00:08:32] But I do think that, sometimes, the unconscious bias leads us to have a lens in which we view our organization, and it’s only from our lens and our experience. And if we think about it, a lot of organizations are ran by white men that have a lot of influence and power. And so, if they’re leading organizations, if they aren’t careful to make sure that they’re leading inclusively and thinking about the constructs of diversity, equity, inclusion, then the tendency is to lead with their lens, and their lands are going to come from the perspective of their lived experiences and not necessarily the lived experiences of those who are part of those spaces. And so, it requires us, first and foremost, just being realistic about reflecting on our own cultural competence and our own leadership and knowledge base of how to lead inclusively.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:21] Now, is there any kind of baby steps an organization can take in order to just try to be more diverse and inclusive? Is there a way to help kind of bridge the gap of saying, “Okay, I am going to add more diversity to the people I’m hiring in the pool, make sure that these groups are included.” And more than that, I would think that you need to—at some point, that’s an easy thing to do, right? Like, that’s an easy box to check. But how do you go from something from that level to “Okay. You know what? I am going to sponsor this person. I am going to really help this person. And I’m gonna invest my own kind of political capital in the organization to really make sure this person moves up the ladder”?

Nika White: [00:10:17] Yeah, that’s a great point of what you are describing, Lee, is a situation whereby people can get the understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion at the personal level. So, to understand in theory but to also understand it in practice. The reality is that institutions, organizations of all types are ran by people. People are the ones who are implementing the systems, the policies and procedures within these organizations that’s helping to shape the culture. But if those individuals at the personal level are not committing their own leadership style and journey towards leading inclusively, then the work at the organizational institutional level is going to be compromised.

Nika White: [00:10:55] And so, I think that one of the greatest ways that people can began to help change the climate of organizations to make them more equitable and inclusive is to start thinking about, “What can I do at the personal level that helps to create a level of inclusion and a sense of belonging and acceptance of all individuals?” And that can look like so many different things. For example, mentoring others, being a resource and an ally. An ally, not just locally, but also in your actions, because allyship is about sending in solidarity with those who are part of marginalized communities in a way that leads towards some better outcomes for them. And so, we all can start identifying ways in which we can exercise ally work towards creating greater equitable spaces.

Nika White: [00:11:41] From an organizational perspective, I would say that some of the clear and easy ways that organizations can begin to do this work more thoughtfully is to think about it from a standpoint of setting a goal around DEI operational excellence. And what that could look like is how can we embed DEI into all aspects of the operations. That first starts with requiring leadership commitments, having an effective infrastructure informed by DEI mission, vision, and strategy, and guiding principles, and then sufficient human and financial capital. And then, doing that will lead to an effective infrastructure that can help to execute and sustain the work of operationalizing DEI.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:23] Now, it sounds like in order to really do this in a meaningful manner, it has to become part of the company’s culture, DNA. It can’t be a tactic that they just kind of bolt on. It has to be something that really kind of permeates the organization from top to bottom.

Nika White: [00:12:42] Absolutely. There are sentiments by some in this space that if you are window dressing or checking a box, if you will, that it can have adverse effect. And so, we have to move from doing this work and being motivated to do this work for compliance reasons to doing this work because you see that it is a bottom line business imperative. You see that teams that are buried in terms of demographics, and background, and experiences that bring about greater problem solving ability, greater innovation, which means that you’re building new products, new services is giving you a competitive edge.

Nika White: [00:13:18] All of those things leads to an impact, a positive impact on the bottom line, even including from an economic perspective, being able to attract and retain talent of all types. People want to see and belong to employers that are seen as a destination, right? And so, I think that it’s time for organizations to not just see this as an obligation, but to see the work of diversity, equity and inclusion as an opportunity in order to move the needle.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:49] Now, let’s talk about the GWBC> How has that organization helped you in your growth of your consultancy?

Nika White: [00:13:59] Well, GWBC has been very instrumental in a number of ways, one of which is just having a community of other women business owners who are like-minded, who are trailblazers within their industries to share space with, to share best practices with, to be inspired by, and to collaborate with. I think that the certification through WBENC has additionally provided opportunities for me to expand my market and my reach. There are a lot of organizations that see that as a competitive advantage when they’re making decisions about vendors to partner with.

Nika White: [00:14:36] And then, the education and knowledge. I only find it beneficial to attend the events and to connect with others who have knowledge base and different disciplines that I’m not well-versed in. And so, that networking leads to a greater knowledge. And knowledge is power. And knowledge is also a way to improve your profitability status in terms of business growth. And then, the networking, I think is also a wonderful way to grow your business just by continuing to share your product, and service offerings, and capabilities with others who may find need and interest in considering those offerings.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:16] Now, do you have any advice for the women business owners out there to kind of weather the storm that we’re in right now?

Nika White: [00:15:25] It’s a great question. I think that we all are having to define what the new normal is. We’re all having to pivot. I think that the one thing that we need to be mindful of is the fact that we will probably never return back to what we thought to be normal prior to COVID-19. And so, we have to remain agile. We have to be incredibly creative and innovative in our approach. I think that it’s appropriate for women business owners right now to look at their service offerings and to align it with the current climate and season. Just to recognize that while that could be a way that you could sustain your revenues for now, it may not be something that’s going to go on into the future. So, you have to evaluate that.

Nika White: [00:16:08] But just being agile and just being aware of the need. I think that from a branding and messaging perspective, a lot of businesses are being encouraged to shift and to pivot. People, right now, are highly sensitized to what’s going on. And if you are not demonstrating a level of sensitivity to that, it could be a turnoff for a lot of consumers. And so, being mindful to navigate your branding and your messaging strategy in a way that will resonate with people or what they’re dealing with at this point in time is what I would offer.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:42] For some organizations that maybe were in your line of work or maybe they were doing a lot of their consulting in person or their training in person, to be able to pivot to some sort of virtual or online training, is that something that you’re capable of?

Nika White: [00:17:00] Oh, yes, absolutely. So, I was offering virtual trading options before COVID-19, but I have since ramped up those options and even provided some other formats as well. But the thing is, is that the DEI industry is having to pivot as well. Right now, a lot of the practitioners in this space are thinking about things like how do we continue to help people to understand the significance of leading inclusively during this unprecedented moment, how to mitigate speed as one of the worst enablers of bias as we make rapid changes to the way in which we work, how to adapt our DEI events to training and programming for the online space, and better support employees who are parents, and caregivers, and serving on a multitude of capacities in addition to, now, working from home. So, there’s a lot to be considered. And I think that we can’t underestimate the need for consultants in this space to be leveraged in order to help organizations to really endure as we get through this crisis to the other end because I do believe we will get to the other end and will all be better for it.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:06] Now, if there is an enterprise level company out there, a company of any size, I guess you were able to help, and they are struggling with this kind of the challenges regarding diversity, is there a way to contact you? Is there a website?

Nika White: [00:18:23] Yes, absolutely. So, my website is nikawhite.com. It’s N-I-K-A-W-H-I-T-E dot com. And there, people can find all of my service offerings, as well as ways to reach out and connect with me. I would love to be a resource. And I just appreciate the opportunity to share today during this specific time.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:43] Now, is there a sweet spot for you in terms of organizational size or industry?

Nika White: [00:18:49] I’ve been asked that question a number of times, Lee. And I’ll say that I have experience in working with all types of clients in different industries, different sizes, private/public sector. And I know that, sometimes, that operates against the best practice for marketing because people say find your niche. But what I find in this space is that regardless of the type of organization or the size, the reality is that the foundational practices of diversity, equity and inclusion, those guiding principles are the thing for no matter what type of organization you are. So, my business is such to where I meet clients where they are, understand where they are within their continuum of diversity, equity and inclusion. And we develop the best solutions based upon the goals they’re trying to reach.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:33] Good stuff. Well, thank you so much for sharing your story today.

Nika White: [00:19:37] No, thank you for having me. I appreciate the opportunity to share.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:40] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We will see you all next time on GWBC Radio.